supersick
by PurpleBlaze
Summary: Sue becomes deathly ill, to the horror of her family. Unfortunately for her, sick super heroes have worse symptoms than sick normal people. ReedSue fluff, sibling love
1. mayday

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Fantastic Four. That would be so cool though; just imagine all the things that I could make them do!**

**---------------------------**

Even though she was saving lives, the Invisible Woman couldn't help but think of a cruise she and Reed had taken last year on their honeymoon. The Atlantic Ocean had been serenely calm, and the cloudless blue sky had been picture perfect; a sharply contrasting foil to the scene before her now.

A sinking cruise liner in the Maury Sea channel (right off of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) had been caught in a violent storm. The SS Norwegian Princess' passengers were currently being ushered onto the safe decks of a large rescue ship. Perched on the edge of the Princess' keel was Sue Storm Richards. From that vantage point she could see and maintain her force field. The force field acted as a bridge connecting the two ships so that the crowd of hundreds could safely change vessels. Mr. Fantastic was stretched along its length, acting as the role of a handrail.

Sue's stomach rolled right along with the ten foot waves beating against the ship. The black night poured icy cold rain onto the frantic crowd. Sue couldn't remember a time in her life when she had been so cold. Her suit did little to keep her warm in the sub-freezing temperatures.

_This must be what the people on the Titanic felt like_, Sue thought bitterley. She cast a jealous glance at the passengers who were being helped onto the rescue ship. Blankets and hot drinks were being passed out, and people huddled together in groups for much needed warmth.

This was why her mind drifted longingly to her honeymoon cruise. Her warm honeymoon cruise.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a particularly forceful lurch of the ship. She had to redouble her focus in order to keep the force field bridge intact.

Ben Grimm tightened his grip around Sue's waist. He stayed with her to keep her solidly anchored. He shuddered to think what would happen if Sue fell and lost her concentration. A lot of people would find themselves in deadly whirlpool.

The water was more than halfway up the SS Norwegian Princess' hull. Ben figured they had about three more minutes to work with before she was completely lost to the sea. He glanced at the deck and was relieved to see that there were only about thirty passengers left.

Meanwhile, Sue still couldn't believe how cold she felt. Sure, Ben was hugging her. But how much warmth could she possibly get from a rock? Her whole body was trembling from the icy night, on top of the physical exertion she was using to maintain her power. Sue was the only member of the team who had physical side effects for using her powers. Sue had fainted on more than one occasion from over exertion. A sudden wave of dizziness swept over her, and her attention wavered for a moment.

The force field heaved. The six remaining passengers on the bridge jerked forward. Four held onto Reed for support, and two toppled into the icy waters.

Reed magnified the lenses of his eyes and scanned the water. Even with super vision, it was hard to pick out individuals in the angry tide. There was one! He stretched an arm out and picked the middle aged man out of the water. Now where was the other one? To his relief, he saw members of the rescue ship's crew already fishing the elderly lady out to safety.

Reed let his body elastically snap back to the Cruise Liner. He found Sue and Ben.

"It's our turn now," he shouted to them over the storm's roar. On wobbly legs, Sue stood up and followed Ben across the bridge with Reed on her heels.

Johnny, who had been helping people aboard, came up to Sue.

"Are we having fun yet?" he teased. His smile faded away though when he looked at Sue's face. It was deathly pale, and her mouth and cheeks had a definitely blue pallor to them.

"Oh, Susie," he said sympathetically. He enveloped her in a crushing hug. Carefully he raised temperature of his skin. To Sue it was wonderful; like hugging an electric blanket. After awhile her shakes and shivers subsided and she pulled away from Johnny to seek out Reed. He appeared beside her instantly, wrapped in a blanket. He held an extra blanket for her in his hand.

"You must be exhausted honey," he said with real concern in his voice. "You burned a lot of energy out there tonight. You need sleep." Holding her hand, he led her away.

Sue nodded numbly and obediently followed him to a sheltered room below deck. Other families were already hunkered down for the night. Reed sat down against the wall and pulled Sue down next to him. Sue nestled herself against his side and rested her head on his chest. Reed wrapped his arms tightly around her several times for warmth- his as well as hers.

Through rapidly closing eyelids she watched her family. Johnny burned softly nearby (The crowds, particularily women, gravitated toward his heat). She knew that Ben would be making himself useful on deck. Because he was made of rock the weather didn't bother him at all. Finally she turned her head up to look her husband. The man she had chosen to spend the rest of her life with. She looked up to find him already gazing lovingly down at her. Content, Sue buried her head into Reed's chest and promptly fell asleep.


	2. telltale symptoms

_Attention Christmas shoppers,_ a cheerful voice broadcasted over Bloomingdales' speakers. _There are only 23 days left to get that something special for the ones you love. There is a sale of cashmere Christmas sweaters on sale now for only…_

Sue tuned out the sound and focused on the dressing room mirror in front of her. She wore a sophisticated blue pant suit that complemented her skin tone and matched her eyes. It was perfect. It fit snugly in all the right places and would be a great piece to wear at those publicity and charity functions Johnny always dragged her to.

In the mirror, Sue's eyes traveled up from her body to her face. The very edges of her eyes were rimmed with red; A permanent feature for the past three days. A painful, unwanted memory from three days ago edged its way into Sue's memory.

* * *

_The members of the Fantastic Four stood on deck of the rescue ship, __waiting for it to dock. A man in his late sixties stormed up to them. His face was bright red from his neck to the top of his balding head._

_"DAMN YOU!" He screamed in rage. "YOU KILLED HER, FREAKS!"_

_With that, he made a sudden lunge a Susan to attack her. Before he got even halfway there, Ben picked him up easily._

_"What on earth are you talking about?" Ben asked._

_Finger shaking, the man pointed accusingly at Sue and Reed. My wife fell and drowned because of them!" Reed remembered the old woman he saw getting pulled out of the water. Suddenly quieter, the old man stated matter-of-factly to them. "I'm going to ruin you if it's the last thing I do." Ben set him down and he stalked away._

_"Hey we helped you dude!" Johnny shouted to the man's back. "Everybody would have drowned if it wasn't for us!" But it fell upon deaf ears._

* * *

Sue had felt devastated by the news. If she had only concentrated harder, that poor little old lady would still be alive. And despite her family's reassurances that it was a fluke, that it couldn't have been prevented, she still felt sick at heart.

This is what brought Sue to Bloomingdales; she had always been an upset shopper. When her mother died she bought dresses. When her father landed in prison she bought shirts. When Johnny got kicked out of NASA she bought shoes. When her weddings were ruined she ended up buying an entire winter wardrobe. Now here she was again, not feeling well at the mall. She blamed her recent headaches and short temper on guilt.

After buying the pantsuit, Sue wandered around the mall. A sudden wave of dizziness attacked her as she walked past the food court. She sat down abruptly on a nearby bench and put her head between her legs. A metallic taste filled her mouth, and when she touched her hand to her face she realized that her nose was bleeding.

People in the food court began to stare as they one by one noticed the weird acting lady. Sue felt rather than saw the attention that she was publicly attracting and forced herself and her bags to become invisible. Naturally, at that moment the public realized the weird acting lady was none other than their favorite superhero celebrity- the invisible woman. Crowds of people screamed excitedly and ran to the bench where she was last seen. They would never find her though, because Sue was already up and running the opposite direction.

Outside the mall, the invisible woman leaned against the building and panted heavily. _This is crazy. _Sue thought distortedly. _I ran like 300 feet, tops! I should not be this exhausted._ She stumbled to the street and attempted to hail a cab. None pulled over for her. She didn't understand why until she looked at the arm that was hailing the cab: it wasn't there.

Sue stared confusedly at where her hand should have been. It took a moment (a moment longer than what would have normally been necessary) to figure it out. She concentrated on reversing her invisibility to find that she couldn't become visible again! Her powers would not do what she told them!

Finally deciding that something was definitely wrong with her, Sue dug in her leather purse for her cell phone. Finding it, she flipped it open and pressed down on the number one speed dial button.

While it rang Sue stumbled to a clean alley running alongside the mall and leaned against a blue city dumpster. While leaning on it, she sank slowly to the ground. Why was her vision so blurry? She pressed the phone closer to her ear and listened to it ring.

In the lab, Reed Richards was bent over a new gadget he was working on. He was concentrating so hard that he jumped a little when his cell phone rang. It was playing 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' so it had to be Sue calling.

He stretched his arm across the lab to grab it.

"Hello."

All he heard was heavy breathing on the line. Reed immediately panicked, but he sounded calm for Sue's sake.

"Sue? Honey? Are you okay?"

"Reed?" Her voice sounded weak, exhausted

"What happened?! Where are you!?"

"Help me. Come get me." Sue breathed into the phone.

"Of course, I'll be there right away! Just tell me where you are Susan!" Reed commanded.

She never answered. All Reed could hear was breathing that was getting lighter every moment.


	3. found

_author's note: I just got back from a family reunion in Washington yesterday. When I read my reviews I was completely shocked/bowled over at how many reviews chapter 2 had. Thank you so much you guys for all of the encouraging reviews, I really appreciate them! (And they make me update faster!)_

* * *

"Sue? Sue?! SUE!!! Susan, answer me!"

Reed pressed his phone close to his ear and listened closely. Nothing but silence came to his ear. The silence scared him.

"What's up with you?" Ben ambled into the lab, clearly investigating what had caused his best friend to shout. "Did matchstick get into your…" Ben trailed off when he caught sight of his best friend's worried face.

**Five minutes later…**

"Hurry up with that will you?!" Johnny snapped impatiently at Reed.

Reed was hunched over his computer typing frantically. All three men in the room were more than a little anxious to find their missing team member. Reed was trying to track the location of Sue's cell phone, but it was a time consuming task. Ben and Johnny were suited up and ready to dash out the moment Reed finished.

"I'm so close," Reed muttered. He was feeling very frustrated. He wanted to find Sue more than anything, but first he had to hack into the cell phone company's network and track the number from there. And every minute it took was a whole minute less they had to find her. The back of Reed's mind taunted him with questions that he tried to ignore: _What if we're too late? What if she's hurt? Why wasn't I with her? Why didn't I protect her? What if I'm too late?_

The computer beeped to show it had found Sue's cell phone location.

"Got it!" Reed Shouted. He leaned forward farther than he already was and read aloud, "100 W 33rd St, New York, by Manhattan Mall."

Johnny didn't wait around to see if Reed had anything else to say. He jumped out the window and free fell downward. "FLAME ON!" Johnny sped as fast as he was able in full flame mode. When he was almost there he turned his earpiece on talk mode so he could communicate with his teammates who were following in the fantasticar.

"Reed, I'm almost there. What are the coordinates?"

Johnny listened closely as Reed told him the exact directions. Very soon he found himself standing in an empty alley that ran parallel to the mall. Disappointment engulfed him as he walked down the alley searching for something he might have missed. He lifted the lids of two large blue dumpsters with the intent to search their contents. They were both completely empty though, to Johnny's utter relief. The last thing he wanted was to see a body stuffed in the dumpster.

He slowly pressed his earpiece. "Sue's not here." There was silence at the other ends for a minute.

"Are you sure?" Ben finally asked heavily.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. Reed, where do we go from here?"

The truth was that Reed didn't know what to do. Go home and wait for a ransom? Organize a search by grid to search for a body? He wished that this was just a terrible nightmare; that he would wake up any minute in bed, with his beautiful wife sleeping safely beside him. He always woke up way earlier than Sue. He liked to watch her as she slept. She had such a slender frame, delicate even. She needed protection, and it was his job as her husband to provide it unconditionally.

"Reed?" Ben asked, interrupting Reeds thoughts.

A new thought suddenly occurred to Reed. "Johnny, do you see her cell phone?"

"No."

"It has to be there somewhere, now find it!"

Johnny backtracked to where he had started, combing the ground even more carefully. He frowned. Sue's phone would be almost impossible to miss. It had a glittery pink cover. He saw it lying around Baxter Tower all the time. For him to miss it, it would have to be _invisible._

As that thought crossed Johnny's mind, he actually groaned aloud at his stupidy.

_Duh Johnny,_ He thought to himself,_ she's not called The __Invisible__ Woman for nothing._

He backtracked to the beginning of the alley again. Feeling a lot like a pinball, Johnny walked back and forth, back and forth to and from each side. He was careful to make sure his feet dragged so that if Sue really was invisible nearby, he wouldn't step on her.

He felt his left foot brush against something soft. He immediately stopped and dropped to the ground. He hand touched a jean material that he could not see; Sue's leg. His fingers traveled up to the skin of her arm. It was ice cold! Sue had to have been dead for hours!

Johnny dropped his hand down in shock. This was his big sister, it could not be true. He had always taken for granted the fact that she would always be there in his life. Johnny saw his life stretch before him in that moment, and it was devoid of meaning. The only girl that had ever really mattered to him was Sue. The only girl he actually wanted in his life longer than a week.

Suddenly Johnny knew that from this point on he wouldn't be a nice person. All he had to live for anymore was his sister's revenge. He felt his skin rising in red hot fury.

And that was when he had his second major duh moment of the night.

His skin got hot when he got upset. And his emotions definitely fit into that category ever since Reed told him Sue was missing less than ten minutes ago.

Feeling incredibly stupid (he was never going to tell Reed or Ben about this) he felt around for Sue's pulse. Her pulse was faint, but definitely there.

Johnny scooted closer and pulled Sue into his embrace, making sure that his skin would not burn her. He felt hot tears welling up in his eyes. In the state he was in the tears were literally boiling. They evaporated before they even reached his cheeks. He heard the unmistakable sound of the fantasticar screech to a halt behind him.

"I found her," he informed Ben and Reed, who had come up behind him. His voice cracked on the words.

Reed knelt down beside Johnny.

"Do you know if she's hurt?" Reed asked.

Johnny shook his head. He had not even thought to check.

Reed reached out and skimmed his hands across Sue's legs, stomach, back, arms, and head. "Judging just by feel I'd say she doesn't have any wounds. I can't be positive though because I can't see her." He paused as he felt her pulse again. "Her pulse is weak and her skin is really clammy. I don't want to state the obvious, but we better get to the hospital now."

Reed changed positions so that he could more easily put his arms under Sue's arms and knees. He carefully stood up. Johnny reluctantly let go of his sister and stood up too. Sue's purse and phone appeared suddenly on the ground as she was lifted up and left contact with them. Ben walked over to where they fell and picked them up. The pink phone was still flipped open. Ben closed it and held it against his heart as he watched Reed try to situate a wife that he could not see comfortably on his lap. Ben would be devastated if anything happened to their only female teammate, so he could only imagine the pain the other two would feel.

Reed looked over at Ben at that moment. "Let's get going Ben!"

Ben hurried forward and jumped into the driver's seat. He glanced over his right shoulder at Johnny. Their chattiest, most easygoing member was unusually silent. He was staring out at nothing, and Ben couldn't judge from his expression what he was thinking. He didn't have the time to wonder though. Ben threw the fantasticar into drive and zoomed to the hospital as fast as he could without jolting their precious cargo.


	4. hospital

_I had some problems with this update, but I finally got it up._

* * *

What finally woke Sue up was a pain in her arm. She cracked her eyes open slightly and turned her head to locate the source of the pain.

When she could see, she noticed that her body was resting out on a white sheeted hospital bed. A doctor, whom she recognized as one of the doctors that the team trusted, was standing at her bed side drawing blood. But instead of looking at her arm for vein reference, his gaze concentrated on a nearby monitor screen. The monitor was hooked up to what appeared to be a heat sensory system. A needle was what the piercing feeling was.

Feeling satisfied that she had identified her source of discomfort, Sue shifted her head farther to her left. She was in a large hospital room. Complicated pieces of medical machinery were located strategically around the room. Reed and Johnny, in their suits, sat in chairs. Ben was standing near the door; if he tried to sit down he would end up breaking the chair.

Feeling strangely removed from the scene, Sue watched with the rest of team as the doctor withdrew the needle with a sigh of relief. He switched the monitor view from just the heat in her arm to her entire body.

He turned to three men. "I'm just going to run this blood sample down to the lab, and then I'm going to go see if Cora saw anything of interest in the x-rays. We may have to do a CAT scan if nothing turns up." The three men nodded mutely and the doctor briskly walked out.

Johnny, Reed, and Ben stared at the tiled floor in silence, each in their own thoughts.

Finally Reed spoke up. "We're lucky that Sue's invisibility power doesn't affect machinery tests."

"Yeah, big whoop," Johnny replied sarcastically.

Reed shot him a look. "Sorry," Johnny mumbled.

Sue felt like she should speak up; let them know she was alright.

She opened her mouth to say something useful like, "I'm awake now guys." But all that came out was a groan.

It had the same effect anyway. Reed's, Johnny's, and Ben's head all shot up to stare at the dent in the seemingly empty bed.

Reed came forward.

"Sue?" He asked uncertainly.

"Reed," she responded.

He smiled at the sound of her voice. "Do you feel okay?"

She wanted to make all of them feel better, so said jokingly, "Do I look okay?" This drew a gravelly chuckle from Ben.

"As a matter of fact, no. We can't see you. Can you turn yourself visible now?"

Sue concentrated. She flickered into view for a moment before fading back out of sight.

"I can't." Sue felt very down hearted, and her head throbbed painfully. Her attempted power usage only increased the level of pain she felt running up and down her brain stem. Bile rose up in her throat.

"Could someone please hand me that trash can?" She asked calmly. She pointed to a plastic bin sitting nearby even though nobody could see her finger.

Ben was standing closest to the trash can. "Sure, Suzie," he said, leaning over to pick it up in his oversized hands. "What-" He was cut off as Sue snatched the bin from him, and promptly threw up. It was nasty, and also kind of cool, to see green bile seemingly magically appear at the bottom of the bin.

After she had finished retching, Sue felt even worse than she had a moment before. Not to mention the ever present pounding going on in her skull. She wanted to be comforted.

"Reed," she said brokenly. She plucked at his shirt sleeve.

Reed knew what was expected of him. He sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over.

"It's okay Sweetie," he whispered, embracing her trembling frame. "We're going to fix this. You'll feel better… promise."

Unseen tears edged their way down Sue's cheeks.

Any other time Johnny would have been unendingly amused by the image of Reed comforting someone that he could not see; but at that moment, it was the unfunniest thing that he could think of.

* * *

**Ten hours later...**

Dr. Adam Keris briskly walked down the east hospital wing, holding a stack of papers that came standard with the job. He proudly lead a great life. He was a rising neurosurgeon stud at the hospital, in good health, engaged to the love of his life, and had the most supportive parents ever. He frowned. At least he _used_ to have the most supportive parents until a few days ago. Now he was down to one. He recently lost is mother in a freak boat accident that could have been prevented by the fantastic four. His supervising surgeon had offered to give Adam a vacation to deal with his grief, but Adam needed to get his mind off of it, which meant getting back to work as quickly as possible.

He continued his brisk walk down the corridor, half-heartedly glancing into patient rooms as he passed. Suddenly he froze in his tracks and backed up. Could it be? He peered in through the viewing window, but the room was only dimly lit.

He opened the door and took a step inside. A dark haired man with silver streaks at the temples lay on his side on the hospital bed. He was hunched over oddly, as if he was giving someone space, and one hand rested in front of him on thin air. The man appeared to be asleep, but when Adam opened the door, he raised his head to glance at Adam.

Adam took a shot in the dark.

"Good morning Mr. Richards." When the man didn't correct him, Adam knew he had guessed right. "I'm Doctor Keris, I'm just checking in."

As if he had every right to be there, Adam strolled over to the end of the bed and picked up the patient chart that hung there.

_Patient Name: Susan Richards_

Adam skipped down to the blood test results.

_White blood cell count: 5,000_

_Glucose: 50 mg/dl_

_Protein: 5.75_

_Diagnosis: Bacterial Meningitis_

_'So she's going to be here for a week at the very least,' _Adam thought. _'I have time.' _He nodded at the husband and slipped out of the room.

He waited until he was positive that he was completely out of view to let the delighted sneer that he had been hiding slip onto his face. He could work with this. Revenge wasn't as far off as he had earlier believed.


	5. sinister plans

**Author's note: I have no clue about hospital procedure. So if I get anything wrong, please feel free to correct me.**

**Four days later…**

Adam glanced around the room to double check that he was indeed alone. He looked at the window to make sure no one was loitering in the hall outside either. He was safe, but he would have to be quick.

He walked over to the cabinet where the hospital kept the in-patient's medication. After unlocking it with his key, he managed to locate a specific bottle of antibiotics. It was a small brown bottle with a white label. Vancomycin was typed across the top, and the name 'Susan Richards' was neatly hand-written under it. He reached into his white coat to produce a glass vial containing green powder.

With his teeth Adam pulled out the vial's cork before proceeding to carefully pour the powder into antibiotics bottle. When the vial emptied out completely, Adam put the vial and stopper back into his pocket. He shook the Vancomycin bottle gently to mix it up and then replaced it in the cabinet.

He quickly walked across the room again and was out into sterilely white hospital corridor again. Dr. Keris had acted just in time. For Mrs. Richards was to be discharged from the hospital the next morning.

Adam couldn't help but grin delightedly at his own cleverness. The powder's side effects would appear in a few days, two weeks at the most. And when that happened, Sue Richards would do Adam's job for him and take out her own team before destroying herself. It was killing four fantastic birds with one stone.

* * *

Johnny Storm strolled down the Manhattan Medical Center's long hallway, humming under his breath. His big sister was going to be released in the morning, and she would finally get to come home with them to the Baxter Tower. The doctors had informed Sue that she was very lucky. She only had a mild case of Meningitis (a very serious disease even then), so she didn't get some of the disease's scarier effects, such as seizures, nervous system damage, and permanent hearing loss. Instead she only had chills, headaches, sleepiness, light irritability, and a high fever.

Johnny thought all of that still stunk, but everybody else acted relieved because it could have been way worse.

Johnny looked in a window as he passed and saw a cute red headed nurse. He backed up to flirt with her, but she looked too busy to bother with him. He continued on his way. Johnny glanced into the next window he passed in the hopes of seeing a just as pretty nurse as the red headed one who wasn't as busy.

Instead of the young nurse he had been hoping to see, he observed a doctor in his early thirties with dark hair cropped short. He was standing at a medicine cabinet holding a small brown bottle in his hand. Something about the scene made Johnny pause. The man seemed somewhat sinister to Johnny. Maybe he had learned to pick up a bad-guy vibe from all the criminals he had fought in the past two and a half years? Figuring that he was over reacting to nothing, Johnny brushed off his bad feeling and continued on his way.

Johnny walked into Sue's room to find her sitting up in bed. The latest edition of a celebrity tabloed was open on her lap.

"It's nice to see how dreadful you look without having to guess," Johnny said. Sue just smiled at his teasing. She had regained her visibility after two days of morning, noon, and night antibiotics. Johnny felt comfortable ribbing his sister again now that he was sure that she would be fully recovered in a couple more weeks.

"Look at this," Sue said, holding up the magazine for Johnny to see. Johnny peered at the article she was holding up. A glossy photo showed Ben and Johnny himself walking into the Manhattan Medical center. Judging by the clothes in the picture it had been taken only the day before. A photo inset showed a picture of Sue in her uniform that was taken a couple of months ago. The article's title boldly proclaimed, "The Invisible Woman on her Deathbed". The sub headline read, "strange mutant virus attacks a member of the fantastic 4, with dire results." Johnny couldn't help but shake his head at the press' constant folly.

"We are so going to be mobbed by reporters when you leave tomorrow," Johnny informed her. "They've been staked outside ever since news got out about you. And the mob grows every day."

"I heard," Sue responded dryly. "Reed told me."

"Where is doc at anyway?" Johnny asked.

"I sent him away. He's been hovering all day. He needed a nap and a shower."

At that moment a nurse walked in holding a large needle and a small brown bottle with Sue's antibiotics inside.

"Time for your next round of shots," she announced. The nurse put the shot needle into the bottle and pulled the back out until the tube was half full. Sue obediently stuck her arm out and made a face as the large needle pierced her vein.

Johnny winced in sympathy. "Just think," he encouraged. "Starting tomorrow you only have to take the pills for a couple of weeks.

Sue only nodded as the nurse pressed the rest of the shot in. Little did they know what substance polluted the medicine as it surged into Sue's blood.

**I know that this was kind of a boring chapter, but it will get more interesting. This chapter was necessary for later plot points. I'll update faster next time. I promise!**


	6. homecoming

**This chapter is mostly a filler chapter, it doesn't add anything plot wise until the end of it. I want there to be some lightness to separate the first crisis that threatens Sue, to the bigger crisis that will threaten the whole team. Now please enjoy your reading experience.**

Sue stood in the small bathroom that connected to her hospital room. She was allowed to leave today anytime after nine. A quick glance at her told her it was ten till.

A small duffel bag sat on the floor by her feet. It contained the clothes Reed had brought that morning for her to change into. After pulling open the zipper, Sue stuck her hand in the bag and pulled out the first garment her hand touched: a pair of khaki shorts. She grabbed the next item out of the bag and was surprised to be holding a pair of blue jeans. Sue stared down into the contents of the bag. There was a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, a sweater, a turtleneck, a button up silk shirt, socks, sandals, sneakers, and a black winter jacket.

A giggle rose up in Sue's throat and escaped. Obviously Reed couldn't decide what she would want to wear, so he packed multiple combinations. Still smiling, Sue shimmied into the jeans, chose the silk shirt, pulled the sneakers and socks onto her feet, and brushed her hair. She slung the duffel over her shoulder and held the jacket in one hand. Reed was waiting for when she came out. He rose to his feet when he saw her

"Did I remember everything?" Reed asked.

Sue didn't answer right away. Instead she walked up to Reed and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. Sometimes she couldn't believe her luck in catching such a sweet, smart, caring individual.

"Perfect," she murmured before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the mouth. Reed responded by leaning into the kiss and lifting her into a hug.

After a moment the couple broke apart. Reed took the duffel bag from Sue and put his arm around her shoulder to lead her out of the room and check out at the nurses' station. The nurses all cooed to the Invisible Woman at how much better she looked. The couple then headed up to the roof where the fantasticar waited. The group liked to use roofs of buildings as parking spots wherever they could to avoid the constant mob of fans.

Sue reached out to open the exit when they reached it, but Reed stopped her.

"Put on your jacket, its cold out," he said. Sue obeyed and went to open the door again, but Reed stopped her again.

"There are gloves, a hat, and a scarf in your jacket pocket. Put those on too." When Sue gave him a look he explained hastily, "You still get chills honey."

After Sue had put those on she asked Reed, "anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Reed pulled dark sunglasses out of one of the duffle's side pockets. "You need to wear sunglasses too because you're eyes are still light sensitive." Sue put them on and went to open the door outside for a third time, and for the third time, Reed stopped her.

"What am I forgetting now?" Sighed Sue, kind of annoyed.

Reed smiled. "You're forgetting to let me open the door for you, darling." And with a flourish he threw open the door. Sue stepped out into the night air and gasped. Her eyes hurt even from the small amount of sunlight that filtered through the day's gray clouds. Not to mention the cold. Sue shivered and pulled her jacked closer around her, suddenly grateful that Reed had insisted on the extra winter protection.

"Husband knows best," she told him as they made their way carefully across the icy roof. Reed just smiled knowingly and leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek.

* * *

For the second time that night Sue gasped when she walked through a door. Only this time it was for a good reason. Standing in the Baxter Building's main living area stood a large crowd of people. A large banner spread from one end of the room to the other. The words 'WELCOME HOME SUE! WE LOVE YOU!' were brightly painted on. Music blared from the speakers.

Johnny danced up to her. "You're just in time for cake!" he shouted over the music. He gave Susan a big bear hug before man handling her across the room toward the food table. Along the way, friends and well wishers stopped Sue several times for hugs and greetings. Sue recognized Alicia, Ben, Johnny's newest girlfriend, and many friends from college and work in the parade of partiers.

By the time Sue and Johnny reached the food table, she felt a bit teary eyed. She partied the rest of the night feeling well loved and supported. She felt the same way when she retired t bed and snuggled with Reed for the rest of the night.

* * *

Two days later Sue found herself standing in the kitchen. Fruit… soup... leftover cake… chocolate… nothing sounded appealing. Finally she settled on an apple and slowly ate at it. She hadn't eaten much of anything since she got sick, and it was starting to show. Reed insisted that she eat something, even if she didn't feel like anything. This was why she found herself in the kitchen. As she ate her apple, Sue began to get unexplainably angry.

How dare that man tell her what to do! She was sick of it. Why did everyone just assume that Reed was in charge of everything? Nobody actually elected him leader.

A long, sharp knife sitting in the dishwasher caught Sue's eye. She slowly, delicately even, picked it up by the handle. How easy it would be to end her macho husband problem by simply ending his life! As she was considering the knife, a door slammed and Ben walked in.

Sue jumped as if she were getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She guiltily laid the knife back down in the dishwasher. Erasing the lapse of character from her mind, Sue continued eating her apple.

**The next chapter is the chapter where Sue really starts to change for the eviler. Can someone tell me how Reed or Johnny or Ben can get hurt? If you shot or stabbed them, wouldn't that not really hurt any of them because one of them could stretch around it, one could burn it up, and one is pretty much invincible? Sue is pretty easy to hurt because someone could catch her by surprise. Does the element of surprise work with any other member of the team? Anything would be helpful.**


	7. escape

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I began this fanfic, I had intended it to be an action-packed 20 chapters. Unfortunately I got extremely busy with life and lost my "Fantastic" muse. Because I hate it when authors don't finish their work, I will complete this even though it will be a super condensed version. So here is chapter 7, and the final chapter will be up by tomorrow. I'm so sorry you all got jipped out of the full story, but I'm really not feeling it anymore.**

Susan Storm-Reed woke up slowly. It was unnaturally silent for the time of day considering that she was on the living level of the Baxter Building. Normally there would be rock and pop music pounding from Johnny's stereo system. She should also be hearing the natural thuds and bangs from Ben that come with having such a form. Reed's plethoras of machines were silent as well.

Sue caught sight of the time on the clock. Yes, it was much too quiet for a late afternoon. She hadn't glanced at the clock out of curiosity for the time; rather, it sat already in her field of vision. It was at that moment that Sue dully noted that she felt absolutely no emotion at all. She simply felt devoid. That realization had none of the appellation, amazement, or concern that should have come about.

Reed walked by her doorway at that moment to check on his wife. He "coincidently" sauntered by every half hour or so. Sometimes he would walk in and brush his hand against her cheek. This trip he noticed her blue eyes were open. The doctor in him noted the glazed eyes.

"You're awake," he stated softly, not bothering to conceal his joy. "How do you feel?"

"I don't know," Sue responded honestly. More out of habit than any real motivation, Sue got out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She pulled her pink toothbrush out of the cup and reached for the toothpaste. Her hand froze halfway to its destination. Her first real emotion flared hot and white insider her: pure, unadulterated hatred.

"Reed!" she shrieked. He ran in almost immediately, spurred on by the anger in her cry. His eyes darted back and forth frantically. He searched for the source of her rage. Had some nemesis broken in the building?

Sue whirled around. "How dare you leave the cap off the toothpaste again!" She didn't bother speaking softly.

Reed put his hands up, confused. If not for the deathly glare she was shooting him, he would think she was joking.

"I didn't know it bothered you that much, Honey."

His eyes widened in surprise as he felt a force field pushing against his internal organs. The force field expanded and expanded. His rubbery organs bent and stretched to accommodate this new visitor.

He looked up at his wife. Or, this shape shifter, his wife wouldn't deliberately attempt to kill him.

"Help!" Reed shouted out. "Ben?" "Johnny?"

Reed stretched out a limb toward his wife, but she notice this and enclosed his form in a force bubble. Instinctively Reed held his breath and tried not to panic. He had no fear of getting crushed. However, he could die from lack of oxygen. After more than a full minute his limbs began to feel rubbery, pun not intended, from not breathing. The scientific part of his brain reminded him that it took four minute for the brain to get brain damaged.

He hated how his mind worked sometimes.

Another minute passed. Sue stood still and watch emotionally as her husband suffocated. His lips were pale.

Suddenly a rock hard object pushed against her neck. She didn't even have time to get angry before she passed out. The deadly force field dissipated. Reed dropped to the ground and gasped in sweet air. Ben knelt over his best friend.

"Are you all right, Reed?"

"Yes," he gasped, "just give me a minute."

Both men looked at the still blond figure.

Concerned, Reed crawled over and checked Sue's pulse. It beat strong under his fingers.

"She's okay," Ben said. "I just put pressure on her neck. She'll revive in a couple of minutes."

"When she wakes up she may try to kill us."

* * *

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Sue yelled. It was a few hours later. Reed and Ben, soon joined by Johnny, carried her to a lower level of the Baxter building to lock her in an iron interrogation room. Attached to her temples were electrode circuits to offset her powers. Her hands and legs were cuffed to prevent her from removing them.

"That seems to be the only level she speaks at," observed Johnny. Sue glared at him through the glass plate separating them.

The members of the fantastic team proved unable to talk her out of her fit.

"GO TO HELL!"

"Mmmmm….. I'm going to go with 'no, thank you' on this one."

Sue glared at Johnny some more. He continued to ignore it.

"YOU LITTLE INGRATE! AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR YOU!"

Johnny gritted his teeth and focused on the television propped on the corner. Some reality show was wrapping up on the entertainment network. It took a concentrated effort to ignore his incensed sibling.

"Good," approved Ben. "You're finally learning that logic doesn't work. It took you long enough.

Reed walked in at that moment. "I ran some tests. The results are bizarre. There is a chemical called VH 383 in her bloodstream. It is extremely rare."

"What does it do?" Ben asked.

"Are you kidding?" Johnny demanded. With a jerk at his sister he said. "Obviously makes you go insane with anger."

Reed chuckled without humor. "In very basic terms, yes. What happens is the human body's cells are composed o-"

"Please don't give us a biology lesson." Cut in Johnny. "Just fix her." Having his cool-headed big sister act so abnormally made Johnny antsy.

"The antidote will be ready in an hour," Reed reassured Johnny as well as himself. "It takes that long for the neurons to settle." He paused. "What I don't get is how she got infected in the first place. I mean, it's not a naturally occurring chemical."

"Revenge maybe." Offered Ben.

Reed said, "But how? And When? It only just began, and besides doctors, we were with her all the time."

A white lab coat… a brown vial… Johnny recalled the bad vibe he had received earlier in the hospital. "I don't know why," he said slowly, but I know who."

The cuffs trapping Sue began to shake of their own accord. Monitors began to beep in panic as measuring intervals shot up.

All attention immediately became focused on Sue. Her eyes blazed at the television set. On screen there was a picture of Sue at a coffee cart wearing casual jeans, a too big t-shirt, and a baseball cap. It was captioned, "Invisible Woman's biggest fashion blunders". The anchor's voice could be heard saying," should have been invisible before stepping out in this ensemble. The grunge look is out."

Johnny remembered that day. Sue had borrowed a spare shirt of Johnny's from his car because she had spilled sauce over her own top.

"I HATE PAPARAZZI! I HATE THE PRESS!"

Now the whole cage shook. Johnny backed up. "Reed, what do we do?"

Reed never had a chance to answer before the walls exploded outward. Johnny caught sight of Sue's face as she walked out of the cage a free woman. Her nose bled and she had the dazed look she had whenever she overexerted herself on the power scale. She glared at the door; it burst off its hinges and slammed against the opposing wall.

"We can't let her leave and kill innocent people," shouted Ben. But the warning came too late, she was already gone.


	8. happy endings

Johnny Storm shook his leg impatiently. He couldn't remember any other time he had been so on edge. It didn't help that Reed paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth in front of him. Johnny leaned forward in his chair to look at the timer. Only two minutes and twenty seven seconds until the antidote would be finished settling; One hundred and forty seven seconds too many… One hundred and forty six now…

"We're lucky that Sue used up most of her energy breaking out. If she had full power she could have killed a lot of people by now."

"Maybe some of them deserve it," muttered Johnny into his hand. Reed looked at the younger man sharply.

"If Sue goes after that 'Doctor Keris', I certainly wouldn't stop her." Reed had researched him earlier while trying desperately to kill time.

"It's not our place to play God," Reed reminded gently. "We save everybody. We don't choose the people we protect."

"Would you be preaching that tune if his plan succeeded and we all died? Including your wife?"

Reed clenched his fists white. "It didn't come to that."

Both men returned there attention back to the ominously glowing timer. One minute and forty three seconds…

Their com links flickered. "She's running out of steam Reed." Ben's voice sounded worried. "I've been herding her away from citizens, and she's seemed almost fine; But now it looks like she's going to collapse."

Reed willed the timer to move faster. He bit his lip. The taste of metallic blood invaded his taste buds. "Don't go near her," he warned. "Keep leading her away from innocents."

"I should be out there," Johnny complained. Reed didn't say anything. Johnny knew what he would say anyway. Sue could easily put a bubble around her brother and cut of his oxygen, thus eliminating his power. Ben was more durable.

Johnny punched the wall. A black, scorched hole remained when he pulled his fist away. Reed understood Johnny's frustration, so he didn't reprimand his brother-in-law. Instead he murmured, ""You're more important here. We need your speed. You don't know how much I wish I could be there too." Johnny stared at the timer.

Fifteen seconds…

"Don't forget you need to inject it directly into her heart."

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three," Johnny counted down. At three Reed prepared the needle.

"…two, one!"

Shrill beeps echoed inside the lab.

Reed pulled the stopper back and filled the vial with acidic liquid. His hands trembled.

"Easy, Reed"

He finished quickly passed it to Johnny.

"FLAME ON!"

"Remember you only have one chance," Reed shouted uselessly to the trail of smoke. As fast as his rubbery legs could carry him, Reed dashed to the Fantasticar. He used the time it took to put on his seat belt to compose himself. He spent years separating subatomic particles without breaking a sweat.

A moment ago anyone watching would think he was a green intern.

With a deep breath he shot off into the dusk.

* * *

Flying faster than he ever had, New York was a blur under Johnny. When he passed the suburb limits to the country side where Ben had drawn Sue he activated his com link. "Where are you Rocky?" Ben gave the coordinates. The Human Torch tilted north east.

None too soon he came about a sight that twisted his heart. The Invisible Woman stumbled forward in a meadow, seeming with no particular destination in mind. She looked like death on two feet: Pasty white skin, blue tinged lips, tangled hair, bloodshot eyes graced her features, and blood streamed out of her nose down her face and onto her shirt.

_You only have one shot, so you better do this right_, Johnny told himself sternly.

"READY," he shouted to Ben.

Ben ran forward, (the ground shook) and pinned Sue's arms behind her back. A demonic sounding shriek streamed from her lips. Before she could do anything at all, Johnny swooped in like lightning. He stabbed the needle into her chest and pressed the back in. Green liquid disappeared out of the glass. Sue cried out in pain her heart absorbed and pumped the life saving liquid throughout her veins. She sank to her knees. Ben supported her weight gently.

Johnny watched her eyes slowly unglazed. Blue orbs focused, and then zeroed on him. "Johnny," she said distantly. Then more forcefully, "Johnny!" She fell forward into her little brother. He caught her up in a warm hug easily, making extra sure that his skin was cool. He rubbed small circles in the small of her back as she sobbed.

Johnny Storm certainly was not the one for sentimental moments, but there were exceptions to the rule. Exception number one came when Mary Storm died in a car crash. Exception two happened after Franklin Storm went to jail for accidental manslaughter and the Storm children were pretty much on their own. Exception three when the Silver Surfer brought his dead sister back to life. Exception four happened when he couldn't find his missing sister. This was definitely exception five to the 'keep emotionally cool' rule. He could stand not to have anymore thank you very much.

His own eyes moistened and threatened to spill over. "And here I was under the impression I was the one supposed to be giving you constant heart attacks." His grip tightened. He didn't know how long they sat like that. Finally the Fantasitcar's hum could be heard getting louder and louder. It landed a few meters away.

Reed Richards jumped out of the cockpit.

Johnny looked down at his protective big sister. "Let's get you home angry lady."

* * *

_Three Weeks later in the Baxter Building..._

Susan Richards sat amongst the comfort of fluffy couch cushions watching her good friend Benjamin Grimm speak into the phone. "I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes," he promised before clicking the off switch. Sue laughed softly when he punched right through the phone.

Ben commented off-handedly, "I only do that when I'm nervous."

Sue stood up. She reached up to hug the Thing. "I'm so happy for you and Alicia. I can't wait to help Alicia plan the wedding."

"That's only if she says yes."

Sue laughed again. "Of course she'll say yes. She loves you."

"The feeling's mutual," Ben replied as he walked out of the room toward the elevator.

"Good luck," Sue called after him.

Sue settled back onto the couch and wrapped a blue afghan around her slender frame. She picked up the remote and channel surfed until she finally settled on an ABC show.

Johnny announced his presence next. "Don't wait up for me tonight. I'm ready to hit the club all night long." He shrugged into his leather jacket. "And I don't plan to spend the night alone if you know what I mean."

Sue rolled her eyes. "How could I not know what you mean?" she asked dryly.

Johnny's eyes twinkled, "Don't go on any insane rampages while I'm away. And if you have to kill Reed- make it a good reason!"

"Will you ever let me live that down? It sooo wasn't my fault."

"NEVER!" With that, the second team member had left the building.

Fifteen minutes into Grey's Anatomy Reed walked in carrying a tray loaded with cheeses, fruits, bread, and champagne.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something?"

"You are," Sue said with a loving smile as she looked up.

"I guess I'll just come back later." Reed did an about face with the tray.

"Reed Richards, you get back here. This is what Tivo is for." Sue muted the television and watched as her beloved husband settled himself beside her. He filled two flutes full of champagne and handed one to Sue.

"To us," he toasted. The couple clinked glasses before sipping the bubbly beverage.

"Are you up for Adam Keris' trial date in three months?"

"Do we really have a choice?" Sue countered. She sighed. "I'm just so relieved that my knight in shining armor was around to save me." She snuggled contentedly against Reed. He responded by putting an arm around her.

"I'm just relieved you're safe, and healthy, and with me tonight." He kissed her lips sensuously and pulled back. "I love you."

Sue teased, "I never would have guessed the way you've been treating me lately." Reed had gone overboard in making sure Sue got enough rest and relaxation. He wasn't the only one though. Johnny and Ben took their turns catering to her every whim.

Reed shrugged unashamedly. "Just as long as you know."

Sue kissed Reed softly. "I love you, too."

He promised, "I'll always take care of you."

"We'll always take care of each other," she corrected.

Their lips met again in a passionate lock. Breathless, Sue pulled away. "We have the building to ourselves tonight," she whispered. "What say we practice conceiving our first child?"

Reed pulled her closer. "I think we've got it down to an art. We should do the real act soon." They looked doe eyed at each other before coming together for what would be a very steamy night.

**_THE END_**

**_Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed. Reviews make my heart glow!_**


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